CRESTVIEW — A 5-year-old boy with multiple disabilities will have a new iPad thanks to his mother’s Facebook “family” and the community.
Kendra Franklin, a 2007 Crestview High School graduate, moved back to the area last month with her two young sons.
Harlen, who is 5, was born with a deformed frontal lobe and has cerebral palsy. He is blind and can neither walk nor talk. But he can use an iPad to play his favorite songs, using special applications.
His mother had just bought him one, which disappeared during their move. After Franklin filed a police report about the incident and posted on Facebook about how upset she was, her mother started a Go Fund Me account to raise $1,000 for a new one. The money was raised within two days, with enough left over for iTunes songs and apps.
Although Harlen has fewer options for communicating than most children, he is a sweet boy who loves music, especially rap, his mother said, adding she believes he is drawn to the beat.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Community replaces blind boy's stolen iPad